Angry Buddha

"When I make Pa angry, he growls at me," Little Hosh had big tears in his eyes. "When he makes me angry, nobody growls at him."

"Anger is punishment in itself," whispered Isha as she hugged him silently. "We are punished enough by our own anger."

"It's so unfair," Hosh wasn't convinced.

"Do you think he feels happy when he has growled at you?" she asked. "He suffers. And sometimes, you can also be so annoying you can upset Buddh Amitabh (बुद्ध अमिताभ)."

"Who is Buddha Amitabha?" asked Hosh.

"Amitabh, in Sanskrit means Infinite Light (अमित आभा - Amit Abha)."

"Amita Buddh is probably the best known Buddhas in many Asian countries. He is also called Amitayus (अमित आयुस, also meaning Infinite Life in Sanskrit), Amida (Japanese) or Emituo Fo (Chinese)."

"He is considered to be a saviour and one of the five 'self-born' buddhas (dhyani-buddhas, ध्यानी बुद्ध) who are said to have existed eternally."

"According to Mahayana Buddhism, he appeared as the historical Gautam Buddh (गौतम बुद्ध, Gotama) and as the bodhisattva (buddha-to-be) Avalokiteshvar (अवलोकितेश्वर)."

"In his bookBeing Peace, Thay tells the story of a woman who practiced reciting Buddh Amitabh's name daily for 10 minutes to awaken the Buddha in her and get peace. All of us have the same potential as Buddhas to awaken, and some people chant to touch the Buddh in themselves."

"They believe that as one chants and becomes absorbed in the sound of the name, worries and distractions gradually fade and are replaced by serenity and joy. Thay however, advocates mindfulness as the way."

"Who is Thay?" asked Hosh.

"Thich Nhat Hanh is a famous Vietnamese Zen master, affectionately called Thay. Thay also means Teacher or Master in Vietnamese. He is over 70 years old and is probably the second most influential Buddhist monk living on earth at the moment."

"Who's the first?" asked Hosh.

"Dalai Lama," replied Isha.

Hosh nodded knowingly. He had heard of Dalai Lama from his father.

"Thay was nominated for the Nobel Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr.," Isha continued, "the year your father was born. He is the author of many books, including the best-selling The Miracle of Mindfulness."

Then she could stand it no more. She jumped up, slammed her door open, ran to the front gate and yelled at him, "Why do you have to behave like that? I was doing my practice and you kept shouting my name over and over!"

The friend smiled at her and said, "I just called your name for 10 minutes and you were so angry. You have been calling Amitabh Buddh's name for over 10 years. Just imagine how angry he must be by now!"